Big Eyes .....

New movie about the keanes and their big eyed caricatures. I have never seen the appeal in these paintings. Will probably see the movie since it is by Tim Burton and the story is interesting. The movie may just spawn a resurgence of interest in the work .......... Here is the trailer:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1126590/

 

I guess you need to click on the Watch Trailer button in the above link to see it.

 

Or go to You Tube and search Big Eyes.

Who would've thunk there was a movie in that? I wonder if the actual paintings have any current value.

 

There was a lot of drug use at that time Brad

 

Prices are all over the place but I find many reaching 4 figures. Highest price at auction I found was 5K for this one .....

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/31692359_painting-by-margaret-keane

 

Here is one that sold for 10K on ebay. Looks like the hype has begun......

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARGARET-KEANE-PAINTING-SUPER-RARE-IMAGE-WILL-NEVER-SEE-IT-AGAIN-1960-039-S-RARE-/201199133951?pt=Art_Paintings&hash=item2ed86724ff&nma=true&si=GZl%2BZOnXguFhF49nYE13iZu%2BGYE%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

A few others with strong showings ......

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&LH_Complete=1&_nkw=margaret+keane&_sop=16

 

Nice selfie, Brad. Is that new?

 

Hi,
OMG as greg makes a thud sound as he hits the floor. When my first wife was preggie we were in a gallery and my wife was looking at a Kean painting. She started to cry (in that state she was always crying at something sad). The owner and his wife ran over and was trying to calm her down. She was still sniffeling but started to feel better. The owner took our names and address to put on their mailing list. Two months later a Kean painting arrived on our door step. It seems the owner contacted Mrs Kean and told her what happened. Mrs Kean send us a painting since my wife was so moved by her art work. We thanked her but never explained that anything set my wife off when she was Preggie. When we separated years later and the Big Eyes craze was over, my wife gave the painting to a rescue group. It was a little girl hugging a doll. I should have saved that and tossed all the Weller.
greg

 

Well... if you got em, list em now.

 

Thanks. It is from a couple Summers ago. I was going to switch to a Winter pic with snow but be we have none here yet. Didn't think it quite appropriate yet and I didn't want to tempt fate ..... LOL! Thought I would throw this out there in the interim.

 

Greg, what A STORY! Hope you still aren't on the floor.

All I can say is that no one, in a million years, could have predicted this.

 

I thought I had two! Wrong artist. I tried to sell these last year without any takers. I wonder if these will have more interest now just because of the movie and the eyes?

Greg, I hope you didn't hurt yourself when you fell on the floor. You still have a great story.

 

Hi All,
I have slowly gotten up and recovered. I have lived so long that I have many regrets about tossing the things I should have kept and keeping crap. Although the crap I kept was because I loved then and still do.
greg

 

Good stories ..... Regrets we have a few......

I have never had a chance to buy a real Keane so have no regrets to recount in that area. Have seen a bunch of the mass produced prints but, rightfully, passed them by. Made an internet acquaintance once who expressed interest in any of the Keane works. This was maybe 12 years ago or so. I remember making some snide comment and had to quickly back-track when I found he was a serious collector. Consequently, I looked into the works then and have been aware of the works and story since. I suppose I would have bought a Keane if I ran across one cheap enough but am just as thankful I never did. It would have caused me too much angst to have to ponder such a purchase.

 

Brad, thanks for posting this whole business. The Big Eye phenomenon is right up my alley -- I'm drawn to certain kinds of kitsch, love observing odd trends, this whole thing is so American or something. Confession: I find myself wishing I had a Keane right now...and not for resale, gasp!

But not just a print. I'd want an oil! In fairness, it would fit in w/my MCM living room nicely.

I was talking about this movie and the painting prices with some girlfriends last night, thanks to this post. After hearing the back story to the art regarding the husband taking credit for the work because no one would buy art from a woman back then, the following was suggested by one of my friends. Maybe the big eyes, the sunken woeful eyes, often with tears coming down, the stray cats, the orphans, this was Keane manifesting her own angst about what was going on, not getting credit for her work, etc. Hmmm?

Or maybe as Terry suggested, drugs.

(And as a side note for those collectors racing out to the thrifts, it is ONLY the Keane versions that seem to be selling. Not all big-eye, just Keane.)

 

Just had a follow-up thought. If the movie is a dog, these prices will plummet.

 

The paintings are enjoying 15 minutes of fame. In other words now is a great time to sell em if you got em.

 

Just from looking at the movie trailer it would seem that part of the story is the phenomena, and another considerable part about her doing the work and him taking the credit. Don't know if that's how it plays out or not.

You can sort of imagine how the Big Eyes would fascinate Tim Burton.